Nick Johns-Wickberg
What can we expect from the toolbox of the future? Nick Johns-Wickberg spoke to three HVAC&R technicians from around Australia to find out.
Anyone who has been to an HVAC&R trade show will know how quickly technology in this sector evolves. Every other week it seems like there a new product hits the market, offering faster, better, and smarter solutions.
So how does this constant evolution of technology affect those who work at the coalface? We asked three fridgies – Jianbin Huang, Sarah Pyle, and Brendon McEwan – how their toolbox has changed over the years and what they expect it to look like in the future.
Here’s what they said.
HVAC&R News: Tell us about your area of HVAC&R – what kinds of systems do you mainly work on?
Jianbin Huang: I primarily work on various types of commercial refrigeration systems, including walk-in cool rooms, freezer rooms, open display fridges, glass door display freezers, deli cases, ice machines, industrial water chillers, rooftop package air conditioning systems, and reefer containers.
Sarah Pyle: I have worked throughout the industry and have been privileged to work with great tradespeople on everything from supermarket refrigeration and chillers to split systems, undercounter fridges, negative-pressure chillers and oilless chillers from various brands globally. I’ve also enjoyed the challenges of working with controls, air compressors and generators added. I’ve worked in settings like mining, commercial, industrial, marine, and high-rise multi-storey buildings that require specialised complex critical equipment.
Brendon McEwan: Our HVAC&R portfolio consists of:
Refrigeration – everything from small refrigeration systems found in corner stores to keep products chilled up to larger supermarket systems and cool rooms in distribution centres
Air-conditioning: everything from small room air conditioners up to industrial air conditioning used for process cooling.
What are the three most useful tools in your toolbox? Could you tell us a bit about how and when each of these tools come in handy?
JH: The three most useful tools in my toolbox are the non-contact voltage tester, digital multimeter, and digital manifold gauge.
The main part of my everyday job is troubleshooting commercial refrigeration systems. The non-contact voltage tester allows me to quickly determine if there is power without having to use a screwdriver and multimeter. This quick scan provides a rough idea of the issue and guides my next steps, where I use my digital multimeter to double-check the voltage, current, or other measurements.
Although I have a set of wireless smart probes, I use my digital manifold gauges more frequently. These gauges help me check the operating suction pressure, discharge pressure, and other measurements, giving me a general overview of the system I’m working on.
SP: My favourite tools are my digital manifold kit, my screwdrivers, my multimeter, and the all-important PT chart. If these tools fail or misread a measurement without double-testing (test, prove, test), it can cost you everything. I trust my tools.
BM: The three most useful tools I currently use are:
1: LED Lenser torch: A bright torch with a nice crisp white light makes the job much easier by highlighting the systems or parts I’m working on.
2: Indoor cobweb brush: This is perfect for cleaning indoor air supply and return vents. Not many people look up at these, but there are some aesthetically unsightly vents which is a pet hate of mine.
3: D-Tek Stratus leak detector: This handheld PPM (part per million) leak detector lets me cloud hunt the leak and see how big it is.
How has your toolbox or other materials/gear changed since you started in HVAC&R – and how have they affected your work (made it easier?
JH: When I started my career around 15 years ago, I couldn’t afford high-end tools like a quality vacuum pump and recovery machine. However, I like to invest in new tools and equipment whenever I have more money to spend. I believe better tools and devices speed up my work and improve my performance in my trade.
SP: So much has changed in good and bad ways. We need to ensure that every apprentice understands the basic principles of tool use and diagnostics.
When I was an apprentice, we had to have a pen, note pad, PT chart, lighter and basic tools and PPE at work every day. You were made accountable and held responsible to ensure you had it. It meant you had to be prepared with at least the basics.
In terms of toolbox changes, crossbow benders are a game-changer for saving time on installations and repairs.
BM: The biggest change in my toolbox over the years has been adding smart probes for diagnostics. Smart probes reduce emissions and can also check pressures and temperatures for numerous refrigerants with the one set, while minimising refrigerant loss from the system. Checking superheats doesn’t require a manual calculation as the probes calculate this themselves.
My current leak detector is the most sensitive I have owned – it finds leaks so much quicker than the others. The PPM display lets you know if you are close to a leak by giving you a set of numbers – the larger the number gets the closer you are. It almost feels like cheating. Also, the ability to fit a hydrocarbon sensor to the leak tester means I can leak test for flammable refrigerants without having to purchase a separate detector.
How do you think a fridgie’s toolbox/materials will look different in 10 years?
JH: I strongly believe that AI will deeply integrate with some tools, making troubleshooting even easier and faster. Refrigerant identifiers will become more important during transitions, as I see more and more systems being retrofitted illegally by non-qualified individuals using hydrocarbon (HC) refrigerants without proper labelling. The old type of leak detectors, which weren’t designed for HC or natural refrigerants, will eventually become useless.
SP: My fear is that this industry will become like the automotive industry in that technicians will become parts changers waiting on a device to instruct a fault to change something. I was taught to measure and write down the measurements as I work through a fault. You look down and can clearly see the issue.
We are in the middle of a knowledge vacuum with the loss (via retirement) of the tradespeople who have seen the biggest industry changes, meaning that there is a huge gap of knowledge lost. Skills like neutral switching, pneumatic controls, balancing a multiple-storey three-zone AHU plant system, negative pressure systems, rebuilding compressors/equipment and a lot more will be lost, and will also cost more to diagnose for a customer with a knowledge gap.
This will break a few companies into bankruptcy as they try to please or compete with other companies due to the competitive nature of the industry, while also destroying the future of apprentices’, journeymen’s and junior tradies’ employment because of a lack of confidence and instilled knowledge.
Like all industries in this current era that have lost sight of the KISS (keep it simple, stupid) rule, we need to open a manual of the equipment worked and understand the basic logic and design of controls instead of just googling the answer.
If a fridgie misdiagnoses a problem, how would they prove that they didn’t just guess the issue incorrectly? Customers expect proof of work, like pictures, graphs and reports. I have found that the best way to show a customer the value of the service that a tech is providing is to look long-term and show a reduction in callouts and decreased energy bills. It’s important to get the basics right both in maintenance and in terms of the cause and effect of why something has failed, both during the quoting stage and with service reports.
BM: A fridgie’s toolbox in the future is going to need a leak detector for hydrocarbons and naturals (R290, R600 and CO₂). Without this, it makes it very difficult to find leaks.
Smart probes are becoming all too common and the skill of manually calculating superheats could become forgotten. Battery-operated tools will take over if they haven’t already. Battery-operated vacuum pumps are becoming popular, but I’m not sold on them just yet. I believe more systems will become digitally compatible or connected through apps for monitoring.
There will also be a greater focus on indoor air quality as the population rises.
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